Bearkats return to roots at Holleman Field
9/28/2015 5:22:00 PM | Baseball
With the installation of its 183,040-square foot AstroTurf playing surface underway at Don Sanders Stadium, the Sam Houston State baseball team headed back to its roots and is finishing out the remaining three weeks of fall practice at Holleman Field, the squad's home from 1948-2005.
“We had to get out there and give it a little extreme home makeover,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “We spent a four or five hour time frame with 38 players and five coaches and were able to get it fixed up in a relatively short period of time.”
While the field has not hosted a Division I baseball game since Don Sanders Stadium opened in 2006, Deggs believes the storied grounds have been a natural temporary home for his blue-collar players.
“I think it's good for us to be able to play in the same venue so many great players before these guys did,” Deggs said. “Our guys have embraced it. They've enjoyed playing out there and have made it their own. It resembles the collection of guys we have on our ball club.
“In today's age, so many kids grow up playing select baseball and it's nothing for them to play a weekend series at Texas A&M then LSU and Arkansas and so forth. There's nothing they haven't seen by this point, but I promise they aren't going every weekend and playing at Holleman Field.”
According to Deggs, the squad filled around 30 holes with sand in the outfield on top of other minor repairs and maintenance. The infield, which has offered a variety of hops, has not stifled a unit that has shown tremendous growth through four full weeks of fall practice.
“We've played some really athletic defense,” Deggs said. “I've seen us make some plays we haven't made in a while. We've made some outstanding defensive plays and I think we'll be a force to reckon with on the bases.”
Meanwhile, Sam Houston's pitching staff, which returns four players who saw action a season ago, and welcomes in 15 others, has caught the attention of Deggs.
“I've really been impressed with the pitchers,” Deggs said. “Several of our arms have had a really good camp. We've done a good job filling the strike zone, attack hitters and developing a third pitch. We challenged the staff this fall to really develop the changeup and that's something we've done.”
The Bearkats' head man is using the fall to fine-tune fundamentals while letting players, including 16 true freshmen and 11 transfers, battle it out for starting positions, all of which remain currently vacant. Entering the fifth week of practices, Deggs believes the Kats are in a good spot.
“I've seen other ball clubs hit a wall going into that week and we actually shifted into another gear,” Deggs said. “They have a passion about the game. We're hitting our stride. I'm starting to see us hit and execute better and play at a faster pace. The younger guys are catching up with the pace of the game.”
While the squad has embraced the grittiness and history of Holleman, players and coaches watch anxiously from the baseball offices as heavy machinery strips the current grass surface and readies for the latest upgrade in what has become known as one of the area's finest facilities.
“It's literally mesmerizing,” Deggs said. “You can catch yourself not getting a whole lot done just from watching it. To finally see dirt being moved around and guys working with a set of blueprints is exciting. If you're not careful, you can get caught up and watch all day. We know it will be a game changer for our program.”
For the latest, including daily practice and Don Sanders Stadium photos, follow @BearkatBaseball on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
